


When Triumph Calls

by Steamed_Tets



Series: Triumphant [1]
Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: ANGST TIME, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, im doing my best and thats what counts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27408574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steamed_Tets/pseuds/Steamed_Tets
Summary: What can you do when the shadows overtake you? Or someone you love? What do you do when nothing is clear and everything, even the future you crave is shrouded in mist? Will you do anything to protect the ones you love? Will you stand and fight like warriors against the night? What will you do when the Triumph calls and you risk everything to get it all back?
Relationships: Abigail & Webber & Wendy (Don't Starve), Webber & Abigail (Don't Starve), Webber & Wendy (Don't Starve)
Series: Triumphant [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002471
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY Huge shout out to @rotten-dan on tumblr for making some bomb ass art that inspired this fic and quite literally lifted it off of it's feet thank you so much !   
> Please go check out the inspiring work here: https://rotten-dan-art.tumblr.com/post/633438636109594624/i-doodled-these-things-at-the-start-of-the-month

“S-she hurt me…” The spider child cried, trying his best to fight back the tears.

“This was not your fault Webber,” Wilson said, putting a hand on his shoulder for reassurance as Wes finished wrapping a bandage around the damaged leg on his head. But before Wes even had a moment to finish his work, Webber buried his face into Wilson’s chest and hugged him, as heart-wrenching sobs filled the air. 

Wilson returned the hug in stride, pulling Wes down into the hug as well after he had managed to finish his work. They both had been closer to her than he was, and he couldn’t understand just how much more grief they were going through right now. Even now his brain was churning, trying to figure out a way to fix this, a way to get her back. After all, Maxwell had somehow managed to get free after the nightmare throne, so why couldn’t she? 

Webber eventually pulled himself away, eyes red with tears, and still sniffling. “Can we ge-get her back? Can we help her?” 

“I don’t know, but I do know I won’t stop until I’ve tried everything science has to offer.” Wilson forced up a smile, “And science hasn’t failed us yet right?” 

Webber nodded before Wilson sent him on his way back to the tent he and Wendy used to share. Used to that is. Within the shelter, he sat down and finally unclenched his fists to reveal something he never thought he'd be able to hold. There before him, lying on his bedroll damaged ever so slightly from the fight and the journey back to camp, was Abigail's flower. He knew what the twins meant to one another, and after Wendy had nearly stomped on it in her anger earlier, the first thing he thought to do was to pick it up and protect it. Even if he had only seen her a few times, he still considered Abigail as one of his best friends. Though he was more than certain she'd never leave her sister's side, even in a moment of triumph like she was going through. 

Or so he thought. 

With a gentle breeze coming from outside the tent, the petals seemed to move and breathe, a faint glow coming from within. Webber had seen this happen before, but he’d never been able to see it up close like this before. He sniffled, slowly reaching out to touch it. But nothing changed. 

Three days passed and Webber hardly spoke to anyone, mostly staying within the confines of the formerly shared tent. Wilson and Wes would bring him meals, fretting over him at every moment. Wilson looked exhausted like he'd been staying up late taking notes again. And Wes looked like he hadn't quite stopped crying but his make up did a good job at helping him cover it up. They'd bring him food and stay awhile to keep him company before eventually going to finish chores. He was grateful for that, but he still missed them. He wondered if Wendy could still see her sister like that if they were still together. He wondered what Abigail thought about all of this. How must she be feeling seeing her sister overcome by the shadows that plagued all of them? Still the petals flickered with light. 

The next day Webber woke up much later than usual. Something that was slowly becoming his normal, and rolled over amongst the covers to check on the flower once more, another thing that was starting to become a ritual. That's when he noticed it. Muscles tensed as he bolted upright and lifted the flower gently in his hands. Its petals having grown dark and faded overnight. He’d seen this happen too, which meant that Abigail had been defeated in battle and was now resting within. Regaining her strength in safety until her sister called again. He wondered if she could see him in there, or how the process even worked. Wendy had always been quite secretive about it, not that Webber could or would blame her any for that. Holding the flower close, he quietly exited the tent for the first time in days. The adults were already busy, bustling back and forth with chores but Willow had noticed him come out and immediately came over to him. 

“Hey short stuff, I’m glad to see you again. How’re you feeling?” She knelt down, eye level with him, though he didn’t quite have the energy to meet her gaze, all he could do was shrug.

“I’m sorry to hear that bud, but I am really glad to see you out and about again. If you need anything you just let me know, alright?” 

He nodded, forcing up a smile, “Thank you, Miss Willow.” 

The two of them parted ways and Webber kept walking, albeit more hurried than before. To a place where the three of them would spend frequent afternoons after their chores were done coming up with games and looking for trinkets to give to the Pig King. Hidden between the thick trees of the forest, Webber felt at ease once again, safe enough to bring Abigail’s flower out from where he was holding it close to his chest. 

“Abigail? Abigail are you in there?” He whispered, “Abigail, it’s Webber. Please. Are you okay? Is Wendy okay? Please we don’t want to be alone, I don’t want to be alone. I’m scared to be alone.” But the spider child was only met with silence, the petals unchanging. Sobs caught in his throat as he tried to blink his tears back to no avail. Quiet cries filled the clearing as he let his tears fall freely. Truly alone for the first time in months. He hated this feeling. He hated not knowing what had happened or whether or not it was his fault. Was Wendy okay? Was Abigail okay? Could they, could  _ he _ get the sisters back together somehow? 

“Webber? Are you out here? Webber?” A voice called out, one the child immediately recognized belonging to the local area scientist. 

Scooping up Abigail’s flower gently, he took off running until he found Wilson, the scientist looking around with a worried look in his eyes. Wilson knelt down, arms open, and wrapping Webber in a hug once he’d reached that point. “I don’t wanna be alone Mister Wilson, we don’t wanna be alone.” 

“You’re not alone Webber. You’re not alone I promise. You’ve got yourself, and you’ve got all of us here with you. You’re not alone. We’re going to get her back. We’ll bring them both back.” Wilson reassured, holding Webber close in a hug and rubbing his back ever so carefully while carrying back to the camp. Webber sniffling quietly the whole time.

For the next few days, Webber carefully trekked out to that same field, bringing Abigail’s flower with him every time. He’d set the flower down on the ground gently and just wait. Sometimes he would draw pictures in the dirt with stray sticks or sing quietly to himself to pass the time. That’s when the petals started to unfurl, brightening up ever so slightly, a gentle breeze rustling them just a little. Webber gasped, crawling over to get a better look. Abigail was healing, that much he was certain of. 

This gave him hope, it gave them a chance. However small. 

And that’s how it continued. Lunch would always be waiting for him when he got back, courtesy of Mister Wilson and Mister Wes. Just the consideration that Abigail was still here and that there was a chance that they could find Wendy, it helped. Finally, it happened, Abigail’s flower appeared to be in full bloom while they were in the field together. This had been what Webber was waiting for. With gentle hands, he scooped the flower up off the ground and brought it close to him. 

"Abigail? Are you in there? It's Webber. You're safe here. It's just us, you can come out if you want." He whispered softly in a way he'd seen Wendy do so many times prior. His words took effect as the petals slowly shifted in the breeze and started to glow ever so slightly. A quick, ice-cold breeze blew past him, taking his breath away in the process. 

There was Abigail, floating ever so slightly off the ground and standing just a hair taller than Webber himself. Despite being a ghost, she looked like she hadn't stopped crying from days, not that he could blame her for that given everything that happened. Webber raised a hand to wave, barely being able to move before Abigail hugged him, even if neither of them could feel it, and he couldn’t do it properly, he hugged her back. They’d get her sister back. That much they were certain of.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, Abigail has a fight with her sister.

This couldn't be happening, right? She and Webber had only turned their backs for a minute before what could only be described as her second worst nightmare unfolded. Her sister, surrounded by shadows and overcome by them and the powers that came with them. There was a fight, screams, cries, she slashed at Webber and he took off, the flower tucked carefully in his hands after her beloved sister had carelessly tossed it to the ground. Webber had fled, and now it was just the two of them. Wendy turned and started walking, so she followed. What this was, Abigail didn't know, but she did know that she had to help her sister in any way that she could. Whatever that meant. And so she followed, keeping her distance in case it angered Wendy and she summoned more shadows just like she had with Webber. 

"Wendy, where are we going?" She asked, knowing her sister could hear. No response. 

So they kept going, for hours on end without stopping. Her sister had to get tired at some point, she very clearly had some kind of destination in mind, but she needed food and rest eventually. Unless that was something the shadows did, made you less human in an attempt to make the burden less. Abigail didn't know. Mister Wilson had tried to study the shadows before but with very little luck. Was there going to be a way to get Wendy out of this? What would she do when they go to their destination? _Did she even recognize her own twin anymore?_ Abigail shook her head, she didn't want to think about that. 

Mist rolled in around them, eventually growing to be so thick that Abigail couldn’t see at all. How Wendy could see through it all to know where she was going, Abigail couldn’t possibly know. It troubled her, where were they even going? Shadows crept up the trees surrounding the twins in total darkness before long. It worried Abigail sick, well as sick as ghosts got anyway. Eventually, the pair came to a clearing, trees rounded the edges in an almost perfect circle, nothing grew within the confines of the trees. Not even small blades of grass. Nothing dared enter the circle either, save for the two of them. It made Abigail feel on edge, shoulders rising in anticipation, and worry for what might happen next. 

No one had seen the shadows overtake someone like this. Maxwell had more than certainly experienced exactly this before, and Wilson had also been taken by the shadows at one point, or so Maxwell claimed, not that the twins particularly believed the magician given his current track record. Wendy hadn’t trusted him, and neither had she. If she could keep him out of this entirely, that would be more than ideal, besides getting her sister back. That’s all that mattered, bringing her sister home safely. 

Wendy turning around brought her attention back to her sister, “Why have you followed me all this time. Why did you come here?”

Abigail was taken aback by the question, glancing around quickly before looking at her sister once again, “Me?” 

“Who else would I be speaking to?” 

“You’re my twin, my sister. We’ve been together again since you came to this world. Why _wouldn’t_ I be following you?” 

“Because you are of no use to me.” 

This had Abigail even more taken aback, “Use? I’m your sister!”

“Not anymore,” Wendy replied, and that’s when the shadows started to surround her. 

This set Abigail on the defensive, shifting slightly through the air to miss being hit by the shadows her sister was now attacking with. But Wendy was ruthless in her attacks, throwing blow after blow in any attempt to catch Abigail off guard. Or tire her out, Abigail wasn’t sure. It’s a good thing ghosts don’t actually get that tired then! At least, not in the ways Wendy seems to be hoping for. Another slash, a newly thrown log, Wendy and the shadows would not relent until their goal was accomplished. Talking hadn’t gotten her much of anywhere, but she was not about to harm her own sister, someone she’d sworn to protect upon the two of them arriving in the Constant. So what could she do? 

The shadows slashed again and Abigail made a move, using her arms to guard her head. The sensation made her recoil, it was almost like sand, soft, and it didn’t hurt at all. This caught both twins off-guard, so Abigail moved to attack the shadow, and instead of cutting through like she just had, it felt like punching a brick wall. Shaking the pain out of her hand, wincing as she did, Abigail needed to find a different approach to the problem. This stuff was acting almost like quicksand, there had to be some way to cause a blow without injuring herself further. Wes had shown them that there was always more than one way to attack against an attacker, she just had to figure out what it was. Wendy had grown tired of waiting, and the shock had worn off, so she began the attack once more, throwing blow after blow at her sister relentlessly. Abigail went on the defensive until she could figure something out. 

Hours passed, maybe even days, Abigail wasn’t sure in the darkness, of the two sisters performing this song and dance, growing more exhausted all the while. Yet, still, Abigail never once attacked her sister. Not once. Wendy was growing incredibly angry and fed up with the ghost's antics and wanted to put an end to this once and for all. She had business to attend to and the ghost had already wasted hours of her precious time. It was time to end this, so she could finally move on. 

The final assault was brutal, hard, unstopping, unwavering. Blow after blow, shadow after shadow. Shouldn’t Wendy be exhausted by now? Abigail certainly was. There had been no opening, no opportunity presented itself in a way where she could manage to even delay the shadows. Nothing she had attempted worked and she was beyond tired. Exhausted, even for a spirit of the dead. Wendy was relentless, like the finale of a show of fireworks. Abigail couldn’t take it anymore, with one last pleading look at her sister, she finally let the shadows wipe her out, retreating miles back into the lonely, wilted flower to rest, and mourn.


	3. Chapter 3

The two of them stood there for quite some time, so long in fact that neither of them could be certain just how long. Despite the improper feeling of it all, the hug did feel nice, and heaven knows they both certainly needed the comfort after how the last several days had treated them. Abigail was the first to pull away, wiping at her eyes again with the butt of her hand. Webber stood by, patiently giving her the time to process it all before firing off question after question about what had transpired while she was away. It was quiet, only the gentle sniffles from the ghost in the area. 

“What happened? Where have you been all this time? Is Wendy okay?” Webber asked question after question, not wanting to be rude but wanting to help the twins. 

Abigail took a deep breath, the two of them sitting down under the tree Webber had recently been sitting under once again. She recounted the story of the last few days, how she’d followed her sister deep into the woods and shadows and how she’d spent days fighting the shadows her sister threw at her in attempts to wear her out to no avail. Webber explained his portion, how he’d come back to camp and told Wilson and Wes what had happened, how he had kept her flower safe from harm until she’d returned, and how he waited with her. 

“What do we do now?” Abigail asked tentatively, pulling her knees in close to her chest, “Where can we go from here?” 

Webber frowned slightly, knowing just how much the twins meant to each other, “Mister Wilson and Mister Wes know what happened, maybe they’ll know something we can do to get her back super soon!” He wanted to remain optimistic, for both of their sakes.

Abigail looked down once again, seemingly thinking over what he’d said, “What do you think actually happened to her? We both turned our back for a minute and now…” Her voice trailed off before heaving a heavy sigh, “Now who knows what she’s doing, or even if we can reverse whatever it is that happened.” 

“Hey! I know we can reverse it! We just have to figure out how that’s all! We’re gonna bring her back, safe and sound. The adults will figure something out, and if they can’t then I will. But sitting around thinking about what could be different won’t help either of us.” And with that, he got to his feet before brushing off his fur and turning to offer her a hand up. After a long, hesitant pause, she took his hand and rose up from the ground as well. That’s when Webber took off in a sprint, pulling Abigail close behind him, the resistance being nearly next to nothing considering the small detail of her not actually needing to walk. They spent hours just doing anything and everything they could think of, whether it be looking at bugs, visiting the spiders, or weaving garlands for different members of the camp, anything to keep themselves distracted for a little while. And although it was fun, it didn’t work out the best. Both of them found themselves, in the rare moments in between, wishing that Wendy was there with them, the three of them rarely had epic adventures without one another, after all, so having one-third of the trio missing made it quite obvious. 

With afternoon rolling in and the sun slowly beginning to set, they both lay on the ground in the grass not far from where they’d originally been sitting several hours ago. 

“I’m going to have to tell them how you got here, no one’s seen the flower since it happened. None of the adults knew I had it.” Webber said, a hint of weariness in his voice at the thought of having to relive the nightmare to explain why Abigail was here with them now. 

“And I’ll have to tell them where she is, and why it took so long getting back here. You said it’s been several days right?” She asked, turning her head slightly to look over at him. But when all he did was nod slowly in response she returned her attention to watching the clouds high above them in the sky. 

“What do you think she’s doing right now?” Webber asked, his voice almost too quiet to hear. 

Abigail took a deep breath and sighed, "I'm not sure, I just hope she's okay…"

"You and I both. But she’s gonna be okay! I know she will!" Webber answered. 

“Webber!” A shout rang out, just loud enough for both of them to hear. The spider-child sat up, looking for the source of the call, “Are you out here?” The voice called again, unmistakable this time to belong to the scientist of the camp. 

“Over here, Mister Wilson!” Webber called out, standing up and raising his arms as Wilson came into view from behind a far off tree. 

“There you are,” The scientist panted, trying to catch his breath after running over to them, “I’ve been looking...for...you.” His words trailed off as he laid his eyes on Abigail. Shock more than apparent on his face and all she could do was give a sheepish wave. 

Wilson closed his eyes, taking a deep yet very shaky breath, “The two of you seem to have a lot of explaining to do.” 


End file.
